A Stirring in the Air
by supernovachristian18
Summary: The title may change! The sudden occurrence of Lucy and Dumbledore meeting in the streets of Muggle London sparks a chain reaction that would shake up both their lives for months to come. The valiant will be tested and an old man will need to make choices that will ultimately decide whether or not he is as good as he thinks he is. Rated T just in case.
1. Quick Story Announcement

**Things to note before the story begins** : This is set a couple years after the Blitzkrieg in England, so Lucy would be ten/almost eleven. The headmaster of Hogwarts during this time period was actually a man named Armando Dippet, but for the sake of the story, I will be using Dumbledore instead. Why? Because I know more about Dumbledore and can play with his character a bit more. (Also as a side note: I will be using the movie descriptions of the characters, considering Lucy's book character never actually had described characteristics, and I never read the entire series of HP. So, ya.)

PS: Lucy entered Narnia the first time at 8 years old, but they didn't go back again the second or third time. I'm clearly diverging from canon over here, so be nice please.)


	2. Chapter 1- The Beginning

Chapter 1- The Beginning

They had met in downtown London a couple years after the Blitzkrieg had shattered the city. She had been shopping for groceries while one of her older siblings watched from afar, and he had been walking the streets searching for entertainment. They hadn't even been aware of each other until he almost literally bowled the little girl over. As apologies spouted from both mouths, their eyes connected and it was in that moment that both parties knew. Something was different about that person.

* * *

Lucy had been looking away from where she was walking, her basket of rations full at her side and her older brother Edmund a few feet behind when the old man bumped into her. It was a narrow miss and Lucy had to swivel on the balls of her feet in order to maintain her balance. As this occurred, she could only think about how it seemed like the man had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

She stuttered out her apologies, still trying to regain her equilibrium when her light blue eyes met darker blue ones. Suddenly the buzz that had settled under her skin ever since her trip to Narnia came alive, and the air thrummed with the feeling of magic. It wasn't something she had been expecting to feel, not here in her world. The breath rushed out of her as she reveled in the feel of something dearly loved but was nearly forgotten. By the widening in the old man's eyes, he too felt the unexpected feeling as the air became charged with electricity. It terrified her.

Having gained her balance and could now stand firmly upright, she finished with her apologies and quickly sidestepped the old man. While she sorely missed the feeling of magic, the thought of a stranger knowing that she was different, and not in the way most children were, scared her more than she cared to admit. The man made a motion as if to grab her shoulder when all of a sudden her older brother appeared at her side, a hand on her elbow guiding her away with liquid movements. Edmund was positioned in a way so that the strange old man couldn't get near his little sister and so that he blocked most of his view of her. A human shield.

As they walked by, both siblings shoulder's were tense and Edmund kept throwing glares in the man's direction. He has seen what had transpired between the two and knew trouble was on its way. So he did what any good sibling would, and stepped in. He made sure to keep a firm grip on Lucy's arm for almost another block, still throwing glances over his shoulder long after the man had faded from his sight before releasing her and untensing his limbs. By then the feeling of magic had faded away and the buzz had once again settled under Lucy's skin, allowing her to breathe much easier. She cast a look at her brother.

"Edmund," she began. Her voice was a little bit shaky from the encounter. He nodded as he gave her a quick glance, looking her over and assessing for damage. He had felt the charge as well, but nearly as much as she had. They walked back home in silence, as they thought of the old man, Edmund still occasionally throwing glances over his shoulder. Just in case.

* * *

Dumbledore was a bored man. The school season wasn't open yet and no pressing matters from the Order of the Phoenix or Ministry were occurring so he had nowhere special to be and nothing to do. So on a whim, the old man had decided to take a walk amongst the muggles. He loved to observe them going about their day, and it just so happened to be market day in London. Maybe he would buy something if it caught his attention.

The trip was short considering he had apparated into an alley. Dumbledore made sure not to be wearing any wizarding clothes at the time and that his beard appeared to be shorter than what he normally wore it. Having made sure he wasn't seen, the old man and set to wandering the streets for a while. He had been there for almost an hour looking at the vendors selling their goods in an effort to make money after the Muggle war when the incident happened.

Admittedly, he should've been paying more attention to his surroundings and that it might've been mostly his fault that he almost ran her over, but she also seemed to appear out of nowhere. The sudden appearance of the little girl startled him, just as much as it seemed to startle her and they both ended up narrowly avoiding each other. The basket in her hands swerved as she struggled not to hit him with it, both their feet practically tripping over themselves to move away. From an outsider's point of view, it probably looked quite amusing, Dumbledore mused to himself.

As an apology came tumbling out of his mouth, his wizened old eyes connected with small and fairly innocent ones. As soon as they did, his magic charged the air around them. It had only happened a few times before, but each time it did, it was because the other person was particularly powerful. Sound quieted and he could swear he heard his heartbeat, the magic that ran in his veins pulsing along in time with it.

His eyes grew wide in surprise. He had not been looking for magic and yet it seemed as if he found it anyway. The little girl's eyes seemed to grow as well as though she too felt the charge. And maybe she did. But Dumbledore watched as recognition and fear quickly crossed across her eyes, although her face was somehow clear of these emotions.

The little girl quickly gained her balance and with one more apology sidestepped him like a river does around a rock. He made a motion to try and stop her so he could talk to her a bit and find out what she knows because clearly, the kid knows something when out of nowhere a boy grabs her arm. His large hand encased her elbow, holding her firmly enough to keep a good grip on her, but not so hard as to bruise. As the boy fluidly moved her along, he threw a dark glare over his shoulder, daring Dumbledore to try and grab either of them again. He didn't.

As they walked away, Dumbledore observed them. The two children were obviously siblings, seeing as they shared some of the same facial features. But he was taller and skinnier than her yet still seemed to give off the air of someone who knows how to fight and do it well. The girl was younger than her brother that much was obvious. However, instead of trying to burrow her way into his hold, she held herself in confidence and her head up high. Like a queen would when standing before her people.

It was a weird thought, that the girl was being compared to a queen when she couldn't have been more than ten, eleven at most. Dumbledore's thoughts stopped in realization. If the girl was in fact enrollment age, then the roster for the new school year would alert him to her existence. With that in mind, he watched as the boy and girl walked off, tense and looking ready to launch an attack if needed.

It wasn't until later, after he had lost sight of the kids, that Dumbledore realized he had felt a touch of magic from the boy too.


	3. Chapter 2

The sun had set and the cold of the night had already set in, by the time the children had arrived home. They had been silent ever since the market incident but no less wary of the fact that the man had stared at them for a long time afterward. Edmund had made sure to keep close to Lucy since hovering then, like a gnat around a piece of fruit. It was both endearing and annoying, though she would never admit it.

Most of the lights were on in the house, most notably the family room and dining area. The two picked up the pace and quickly entered, making sure to take their shoes off at the door so as not to track dirt and mud in. Lucy called out to the rest of the family that they were home. A male's voice called back from the direction of the sitting room and two different females welcomed them back from the kitchen. Peter, the eldest sibling, made his way toward the two.

"You're late," was all he said. Edmund looked at his brother while Lucy cast her gaze away. For some reason, she felt guilty even though she had nothing wrong.

"We ran into a bit of a snag while in the market. Nothing we couldn't handle." Edmund replied. As the boys communicated with their eyes, Lucy slipped away and took the rations basket into the kitchen. Her oldest sister, Susan and her mother Helen, were cooking dinner and washing the dishes. The girls made light conversation with each other as Lucy stepped in to help.

Back in the foyer, the boys were still staring at one another. Finally, after a few minutes, Peter opened his mouth. "What really happened, Edmund? Lucy looked shaken to her core and I haven't seen that occur since," Here he paused. "Since before," Peter emphasized the word before, causing his little brother to look away. They refused to say the name of that place.

"There was a man in the market today. Lucy ran into him and before I could stop it, her magic acted up." Peter's eyes widened fractionally. Lucy was the only member of the family to retain her magic after _that_ place. Admittedly, it made them a bit bitter at first, but eventually, the siblings got over it. Lucy's magic while still there, had been dulled until it was barely noticeable in the first place. But the fact that it had acted up around a stranger meant something was going to happen, and bad or good they would be ready.

While he was thinking, Peter had looked away and focused on the floor in consternation. But Edmund wasn't done. There was something big he needed to tell his brother, something important that the young king had noticed. "Peter," He began. Peter looked up and was shocked to realize that his younger brother seemed almost...scared.

"Peter, I think the old man knew about Lucy's magic. I think he felt it too."

* * *

Dumbledore was tired. After apparating back to the school grounds at Hogwarts, he had immediately been accosted by some of his staff. The alarms for intruders on the grounds had gone off while he was gone, although they seemed to be false alarms. But the staff insisted he does something to fix them even though he was clearly busy. After that, he had to listen to complaints from the house elves about something-or-other, then dinner was being served, etc. Before he knew it, night had long since settled and it was closing in on the eleventh hour.

By the time he had finally managed to escape to his office he was tired, his old bones ached and he had never felt more like his age than ever. He had almost forgotten his hurry for arriving back to the school due to the events of the staff. However, the sight of the enrollment scroll sitting neatly on his desk reminded him and he hurried over to it, feeling anxious though he could not name why. The list unfurled at his touch (and his alone for privacy and safety reasons for the children) showing over one hundred names.

It was this point that the old man realized he knew nothing about the girl and couldn't actually identify her name, even with magical help. So he went through the list via the process of elimination. Using everything he knew so far (age, the general location from where he met her, etc.) he was able to eliminate over half the list. Currently, he sat staring at a list of 23 different names, all female and all that lived in the market location. He had gone over that list several times and yet not one name had truly stood out.

It was at this particular moment that Dumbledore stopped and truly questioned himself. Why was this girl so important? What was it about her that put his attention on her above all the other incoming students? He didn't know the answer to any of these questions and with a sigh, resigned himself to figuring it all out later. The night was halfway over and the moon and long since passed halfway point. Sunrise would be arriving soon and he had duties that would need to be taken care of for the upcoming school year. Though school wouldn't begin for another two months, he had to find a teacher for the Defense of the Dark Arts class and sort out the living arrangements for the new and old students. With that thought in mind, he leaned over and blew out the candles, plunging the room into darkness.

* * *

By the time dinner had been set out and begun at the Pevensie household, Lucy was itching to hide away. Though the buzz under her skin had settled a few hours past, it left her skin tingly and hyper-aware of everyone and everything within a close distance of her. By the looks her siblings kept tossing at her during dinner, her fidgeting was noticeable.

After what seemed like forever (but was only an hour at the most) dinner was over. But before she could escape, Helen called her youngest into the kitchen and set her to the task of dishes. With only a small whine in protest and a bit more fidgeting, she conceded and did as she was told.

In the living room, her older siblings gathered. Edmund filled in his older sister, Susan, on the events that occurred in the market, quickly and quietly so that Lucy wouldn't be alerted. Susan wore a frown on her face and her eyes grew wrinkles around them as she thought. The two boys looked at her and waited. She was always the problem solver in situations that concerned their littlest sibling.

She knew what the obvious course of action would be to protect her sister, but having another person with her at all times would begin to wear on the child until she was left frustrated at all of them. Susan had seen the way Lucy had scratched at her arms feeling an itch that wouldn't go away, and she didn't want to risk that her sister's magic would act out in her frustration. The last time it happened, the result was a very large fire which they were barely able to contain.

She heaved a quiet sigh. That left the only option that she could think of at that very moment. "We need to find this man before he finds Lucy. Something tells me that if he finds her before we find him, then that would set our sister on a course that could either lead her to greatness...or destruction."

* * *

When Lucy was finally able to turn in for the night, she was plagued by strange dreams that kept her tossing and turning all night long. Visions of strange places and creatures she hadn't met since Narnia danced across her dreams. Voices she had never heard before and ones that she hadn't heard in a long time mixed and created a symphony of sound that rang in her ears. But the most prominent among them were four recurring animals and the voice of a trusted friend.

Badgers, eagles, snakes and most notable were the lions in her dream. They danced and pranced on the lawn of a great stone castle, a lake off to the side and mountains in the very back creating a very picturesque setting. Her dream-self laughed as they played like young children. Her eyes caught the gaze of the lion and a voice filled her head, saying a quote that she had heard once before.

 _"If you were any braver, you would be a lioness."_


End file.
